00:00:04
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Next,
on "Unsolved Mysteries," when
00:00:08
a teenager dies of carbon
monoxide poisoning,
00:00:11
police call it suicide.
00:00:13
But his parents say
he was murdered.
00:00:17
Robert Fisher seemed to be a
devoted husband and father.
00:00:21
Could he have killed
his own family?
00:00:26
Agatha Christie, the bestselling
crime writer of all time,
00:00:29
became her own
real-life mystery when
00:00:32
she vanished without a trace.
00:00:35
And at the height
of World War II,
00:00:38
a few American and Nazi
soldiers put down their guns
00:00:42
to share Christmas dinner.
00:00:44
Where are they now?
00:00:48
There is just nothing
like a good mystery,
00:00:51
and they're even better
when they're true.
00:00:53
I'm Dennis Farina.
00:00:55
Join me, won't you?
00:00:57
[theme music]
00:01:33
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Madison, Wisconsin.
00:01:35
It's perfect for what
you're looking for.
00:01:36
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
19-year-old Chad
00:01:38
Maurer worked in a bike shop.
00:01:40
A popular student and
well-rounded athlete,
00:01:43
Chad hoped to save up enough
money to move to Colorado
00:01:45
for college and snowboarding.
00:01:51
One afternoon, Chad returned
home to grab a quick lunch
00:01:54
before returning to work.
00:01:56
You know, it's packed over
there, so I gotta get going.
00:01:58
See ya.
- OK.
00:01:59
See you, Chad.
00:02:00
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Everything
00:02:01
seemed normal that
day, including
00:02:02
Chad's request for gas money.
00:02:04
Dad, can I borrow
some money for gas?
00:02:06
JOHN: Be right out.
00:02:07
OK, thanks.
00:02:08
DOLLY MAURER (VOICEOVER):
There was nothing
00:02:09
about him that was different.
00:02:10
I mean, he wasn't on edge.
00:02:11
Chad, do you want me to
get jacket to take with you?
00:02:13
No, that's all right, thanks.
Bye bye.
00:02:15
DOLLY MAURER (VOICEOVER):
You know, he was just
00:02:16
so excited about the job, and
he had a big smile on his face
00:02:20
as usual.
00:02:22
Almost forgot the money, Chad.
00:02:23
OK, buckle up.
00:02:24
Have a good day, OK?
- Thanks, Dad.
00:02:25
Catch you later.
Bye.
00:02:27
JOHN MAURER (VOICEOVER):
I was standing
00:02:29
right outside saying goodbye
to him and have a good one,
00:02:30
you know.
00:02:31
I didn't notice anything
different either about anything
00:02:33
in the car.
00:02:34
You know, it was kind of
cool out that day and stuff,
00:02:37
and I just don't think
he had any intention
00:02:39
of going anywhere, or else he
would've had a jacket with him.
00:02:44
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
But Chad didn't go to work.
00:02:46
He ended up 150 miles
away on the south side
00:02:50
of Chicago, one of the roughest
neighborhoods in the country.
00:02:56
That's where a
maintenance worker
00:02:57
found Chad's abandoned
car in the garage
00:03:00
of a housing complex.
00:03:03
Oh, my god!
00:03:04
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Inside the car,
00:03:06
Chad lay dead, apparently from
carbon monoxide poisoning.
00:03:11
The Chicago police
contacted that the Maurers
00:03:13
with the tragic news that their
son had committed suicide.
00:03:19
My system went into shock.
00:03:20
My brain went into shock.
00:03:22
Chad had too much going for him.
00:03:24
Chad had all his friends,
and Chad loved life.
00:03:27
Chad was not depressed.
00:03:29
Chad was not down.
00:03:31
He had all these goals.
00:03:34
For parents, the death of a
child under any circumstance
00:03:38
is traumatic and nearly
impossible to believe.
00:03:41
But as John and Dolly learned
more about how their son Chad
00:03:44
died, they found themselves
drawn even deeper
00:03:47
into a horrifying mystery.
00:03:50
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
The Chicago police
00:03:52
had said there was no
evidence of foul play,
00:03:55
yet the knuckles on
both of Chad's hands
00:03:58
had been skinned to
the bone, and there
00:04:00
were bruises on his face.
00:04:02
Yes.
00:04:03
Would you like to see it?
00:04:04
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): The Maurers
00:04:06
asked to see Chad's
old clothes and found
00:04:08
them stained with blood.
00:04:14
What I'll show
you is the crime
00:04:16
scene photographs that were--
00:04:17
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
John and Dolly
00:04:18
began to fear that their
son had been murdered.
00:04:21
They went to review the police
photos of their son's body
00:04:24
with Det.
00:04:25
David Bongiovani.
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JOHN MAURER: What the heck
is that next to him there?
00:04:29
DET.
00:04:30
DAVID BONGIOVANI: The jacket?
00:04:32
Chad didn't take
a jacket with him,
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and he didn't own
a jacket like that.
00:04:35
And you're positive of that?
00:04:36
Yes, I'm positive.
DET.
00:04:38
DAVID BONGIOVANI:
The parents noted
00:04:39
the jacket on the
front seat was not
00:04:41
a jacket they knew Chad to own.
00:04:43
But it would be interesting to
know the size of the jacket,
00:04:45
if it's consistent
with Chad's size.
00:04:48
Or it may give us
an idea of the basic
00:04:49
build of somebody that may
have been in the car with him.
00:04:52
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): The jacket
00:04:53
was another clue pointing
to the involvement
00:04:56
of an unknown person
in Chad's death.
00:05:00
The autopsy report also
suggested that Chad
00:05:03
had not taken his own life.
00:05:06
The level of carbon
monoxide in his body
00:05:09
was 74%, much higher than
usually found in a suicide.
00:05:15
While the findings proved
that Chad had died of carbon
00:05:18
monoxide poisoning, the
extremely high levels
00:05:21
suggested that he had been put
in the car while unconscious
00:05:25
rather than getting into
the car under his own power.
00:05:28
DET.
00:05:29
DAVID BONGIOVANI:
It's my understanding
00:05:30
that levels where they're
conscious at the time they
00:05:33
succumb to carbon monoxide
is about 50% to 60%.
00:05:36
Levels that get up
to about 74% to 80%
00:05:39
are more consistent
with a person
00:05:41
being unconscious or sleeping
at the time they succumb
00:05:43
to carbon monoxide.
00:05:44
And that's because they have--
00:05:46
people naturally have a tendency
to breathe deeper and more
00:05:49
methodically when they're
sleeping than possibly
00:05:52
when they're awake.
00:05:53
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): The cause
00:05:54
of Chad's death was changed
from suicide to undetermined.
00:05:59
Authorities began a
full-blown investigation.
00:06:04
Do you have an opinion
as to what happened?
00:06:06
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
The bike shop owner
00:06:07
was quoted in a local newspaper
saying that he thought
00:06:10
that Chad had been afraid.
00:06:12
Something or
someone spooked him.
00:06:15
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Soon
after the article appeared,
00:06:17
the shop was vandalized.
00:06:18
[gunshots]
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No other stores in
the area were hit.
00:06:24
It appeared that someone
was sending a message.
00:06:29
Chad's story was aired on a
local "Crime Stoppers" program
00:06:32
in Madison.
00:06:33
After the broadcast, a
caller left a disturbing tip
00:06:37
alleging that Chad was
involved in a drug deal
00:06:40
with people who lived in
his apartment complex.
00:06:44
These same people
had previously lived
00:06:47
on the south side of Chicago.
00:06:51
SGT. JOHN W. RIDGES: We know
through our intelligence
00:06:53
sources that there is a pipeline
of narcotics trafficking
00:06:56
from Chicago to Madison.
00:06:59
Now, there's nothing
in Chad's background
00:07:02
that would really suggest that
he's involved with narcotics.
00:07:06
But because of this conduit,
there's a possibility
00:07:11
that he might have been tricked
to be involved in narcotics
00:07:16
and narcotics trafficking.
00:07:18
DET.
00:07:19
DAVID BONGIOVANI: Is it
possible that somebody
00:07:20
else offered him money?
00:07:21
Chad was looking for money.
00:07:22
He wanted to move to Colorado.
00:07:25
Is it possible that
somebody offered him $500
00:07:27
to make the trip and then,
when they got to Chicago,
00:07:29
reneged on that and an
altercation occurred?
00:07:33
Chad obviously being the
loser of that altercation.
00:07:40
Most all of our
homicides in Chicago
00:07:44
have a common denominator
of drugs in it somewhere.
00:07:47
Whether they're selling it,
whether they're fighting
00:07:49
over the territory,
whether they're using it,
00:07:52
drugs seem to come up in a
great majority of our cases.
00:07:57
So this is also a
reason that we're
00:08:00
inclined to lean toward this
drug angle a little bit more,
00:08:04
because we see it so often here.
00:08:07
We feel that there are people
probably in the Madison area
00:08:11
that probably know more than
they're coming forward with,
00:08:15
and I think probably
that's what we're
00:08:16
trying to reach out to now.
00:08:19
Because we're not
going to know what
00:08:22
happened inside that
garage unless we
00:08:26
know the circumstances
surrounding how he got there.
00:08:29
All we know in Chad's
case is Chad is dead
00:08:33
and he ended up in Chicago.
00:08:34
That's all we know in this case.
00:08:36
And we know he was beaten up.
00:08:38
But why was he beaten up?
00:08:40
How did he end up in Chicago?
00:08:42
There are so many questions.
00:08:43
And every day, we wake up and
we think a different thing that
00:08:47
could have happened to Chad.
00:08:50
I know it won't bring Chad back.
00:08:52
But we cannot
rest, and we cannot
00:08:54
put Chad to rest until we really
have the answers to this case.
00:09:01
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
If you have any information
00:09:03
about the death of Chad Maurer,
please log on to our website
00:09:07
at Unsolved.com.
00:09:10
Coming up, his job
was fighting fires,
00:09:14
but police believe that
he set a fire to cover
00:09:17
up a cold-blooded murder.
00:09:30
Scottsdale, Arizona.
00:09:32
A powerful explosion rocks a
quiet residential neighborhood.
00:09:35
WOMAN (ON CALL):
It's-- it's a big fire.
00:09:37
911 DISPATCHER (ON CALL): What?
00:09:38
WOMAN (ON CALL): It's
a really big fire.
00:09:39
It just, like, blew up.
00:09:40
911 DISPATCHER (ON CALL):
OK, what's on fire?
00:09:41
WOMAN (ON CALL):
The whole house.
00:09:42
911 DISPATCHER (ON
CALL): The whole house?
00:09:43
WOMAN (ON CALL): The
whole house is burning up.
00:09:46
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): The force
00:09:48
of the blast has ripped
through the roof of the house,
00:09:50
causing it to burst into flames.
00:09:53
Most of the home is
destroyed before firefighters
00:09:56
can contain the blaze.
00:10:01
The home is owned by Robert
and Mary Fisher, who live here
00:10:05
with their two children,
13-year-old Brittney
00:10:08
and 10-year-old Bobby, Jr.
00:10:10
When rescuers are finally
able to get inside the house,
00:10:14
they find the remains of
Mary and the two children
00:10:18
still in their beds.
00:10:20
They appear to have
died in their sleep.
00:10:22
Robert is nowhere to be found.
00:10:29
Autopsies of the victims
produced a stunning revelation.
00:10:33
All three had been
stabbed to death.
00:10:36
Could Robert, a seemingly
dedicated family man,
00:10:39
have killed his own wife
and his own children?
00:10:42
DET.
00:10:44
JOHN KIRKHAM: Robert was
a very private person.
00:10:45
Outwardly, he's perceived as
a good father, good husband,
00:10:49
a churchgoing man.
00:10:52
During the
investigation, we found
00:10:53
that Robert Fisher had a number
of faces, a number of masks
00:10:57
that he wore.
00:10:59
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Most people took
00:11:00
Robert Fisher at face value.
00:11:04
My brother loved
his kids and his wife.
00:11:08
A year ago, there
is no way I would
00:11:10
have imagined any of this.
00:11:12
There was-- I trusted
my brother with my life.
00:11:16
There's no way I
would have thought
00:11:17
he would be capable of this.
00:11:21
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Robert and Mary
00:11:23
had met in high
school, and they'd
00:11:24
been married for 16 years.
00:11:26
ROBERT: Do you?
00:11:27
MAN: Yeah, I want you
to come back, too.
00:11:28
ROBERT: Yes, sir.
00:11:29
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Robert
00:11:31
had served as a firefighter
until a back injury ended
00:11:33
his career.
00:11:35
Investigators learned that there
had been tension between Robert
00:11:38
and Mary following the injury.
00:11:41
One day, Robert came to
Mary with upsetting news.
00:11:44
Let me talk.
00:11:46
Remember the massage
therapist that I was
00:11:48
going to because of my back?
00:11:49
Sure.
00:11:52
Honey, I ended up
having an affair with her.
00:11:55
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Mary was shattered.
00:11:56
MARY: I can't believe you!
00:11:57
We can take care
of this if you--
00:11:58
I want you out!
Just leave!
00:12:00
Just leave!
00:12:01
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Fisher
00:12:02
headed north to the forests,
where he usually went to hunt.
00:12:19
When he returned
a few days later,
00:12:21
he and Mary decided to go to
counseling at their church.
00:12:25
We need to address
the personal issues.
00:12:28
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Robert had apparently suffered
00:12:30
deep emotional scars after the
divorce of his own parents,
00:12:34
and he was determined that his
children would not experience
00:12:38
the same emotional pain.
00:12:40
COUNSELOR: So let's
talk and go back and--
00:12:42
Robert had told
my dad many times
00:12:44
that divorce was not an option.
00:12:46
He would not be divorced
like his parents were.
00:12:49
He did state that several
times, Robert did.
00:12:52
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): But Mary may
00:12:53
not have shared those feelings.
00:12:56
We spoke with a very close
friend of Mary's and learned
00:13:00
that she had confided in
her that she was thinking
00:13:06
about divorcing Robert.
00:13:08
MARY: You've done this again!
00:13:09
I just can't believe it!
00:13:10
After all the work we've done!
00:13:11
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Neighbors told investigators
00:13:13
that on the night
of the murders,
00:13:14
the Fishers had a loud argument.
00:13:16
I'm calling the
lawyer tomorrow.
00:13:18
I don't think that he planned
this on this particular day,
00:13:23
this is what I'm going to do.
00:13:25
I think that it precipitated
over a long period of time
00:13:29
and there was that one
thing that triggered it,
00:13:34
and that could have
been the argument.
00:13:37
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Could Robert Fisher
00:13:38
have murdered his
wife and children
00:13:40
rather than put them through
the heartache of divorce?
00:13:44
The crime scene investigation
uncovered intriguing clues--
00:13:49
a disconnected natural gas line,
an out of place candlestick
00:13:53
holder, and the
residue of some form
00:13:56
of highly flammable liquid.
00:13:59
Detectives began
to piece together
00:14:01
a chilling scenario
of what happened
00:14:03
on the night of the murders.
00:14:04
DET.
00:14:06
JOHN KIRKHAM (VOICEOVER):
There was some type
00:14:07
of a lacerated
trauma to all three
00:14:09
victims' necks, which could not
have occurred during the fire.
00:14:14
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Investigators theorize
00:14:15
that several hours before
the explosion, Robert Fisher
00:14:19
slashed the throats of each of
his children and then his wife.
00:14:24
In addition to having
her throat cut,
00:14:27
evidence showed that
Mary was also shot.
00:14:31
[gunshot]
00:14:32
DET.
00:14:34
JOHN KIRKHAM (VOICEOVER):
Fire from a gas explosion
00:14:36
usually isn't as intense as the
fire at the Fisher residence,
00:14:39
so there was some type of
other flammable material used.
00:14:43
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Investigators
00:14:44
believe that after spreading
gasoline around the house,
00:14:48
Fisher disconnected the line
leading to the gas furnace.
00:14:53
DET.
00:14:54
JOHN KIRKHAM (VOICEOVER):
As a source of ignition,
00:14:55
we believe that a candle
with a candleholder
00:14:58
was used as a timing device
in order to allow Robert
00:15:04
time to leave the residence.
00:15:06
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Hours later,
00:15:07
once the gas had built up,
the candle then triggered
00:15:11
the explosion that
ignited the fire.
00:15:15
[sirens]
00:15:18
DET.
00:15:19
JOHN KIRKHAM (VOICEOVER): Robert
committed the arson in order
00:15:21
to cover up the murders,
believing that the bodies would
00:15:24
be burned beyond recognition
and would have covered up
00:15:28
any sign of what had happened.
00:15:31
But it didn't cover it up
quite as well as expected.
00:15:34
Cut.
00:15:37
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
A full-scale manhunt
00:15:39
for Fisher turned up few leads.
00:15:44
And then 10 days
later, Mary's SUV,
00:15:48
which disappeared on the
night of the murders,
00:15:51
was spotted by a hiker.
00:15:53
It had been abandoned near
Fisher's favorite hunting area.
00:15:56
DET.
00:15:57
JOHN KIRKHAM: It was clean.
00:15:58
There was no dust on it.
00:16:00
It was underneath pine trees,
and there was very little pine
00:16:04
tree needles on
top of the vehicle
00:16:06
or in the vehicle,
which indicated
00:16:08
to us that it had
probably been dumped there
00:16:11
within 24 hours of discovery.
00:16:16
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Investigators hurried
00:16:17
to the remote area,
but the landscape was
00:16:20
riddled with hundreds
of caves, and days
00:16:23
of searching produced nothing.
00:16:26
Two theories emerged.
00:16:28
One, that a despondent
Robert Fisher
00:16:30
took refuge in one of
the caves, where he
00:16:33
eventually committed suicide.
00:16:36
[gunshot]
00:16:39
The other theory suggests that
a cunning Fisher left the SUV
00:16:42
behind to divert the
attention of investigators
00:16:47
and then vanished.
00:16:48
JEAN: Where would he be,
and how could he have
00:16:50
gotten to where he would be?
00:16:52
He didn't take any
money with him,
00:16:54
and he would be in so much
physical pain from his back.
00:16:59
I don't know-- if
he did this, I don't
00:17:00
know how he could be
alive, knowing how much
00:17:03
my brother loved his family.
00:17:06
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): However, Det.
00:17:07
John Kirkham believes that
Fisher is still alive.
00:17:13
DET.
00:17:14
JOHN KIRKHAM
(VOICEOVER): The vehicle
00:17:15
itself was about a quarter of a
mile off of an improved Forest
00:17:19
Service road.
00:17:20
It's a fairly active area with
a lot of traffic on that road,
00:17:25
and there are various places
that one could use a phone,
00:17:29
catch a ride, that
sort of thing.
00:17:32
He has now probably
started a new life
00:17:36
under an assumed identity.
00:17:39
If Robert wanted
to kill himself,
00:17:41
he would have done it when
he killed Mary, Brittney,
00:17:43
and Bobby is my belief.
00:17:45
So I do believe
Robert is alive, yes.
00:17:49
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Robert Fisher
00:17:50
has been indicted
for the murders
00:17:52
of his wife and children.
00:17:53
He is 6 feet tall and
weighs 190 pounds.
00:17:57
He has surgical scars
on his lower back
00:18:00
and a gold crown on his
upper left canine tooth.
00:18:03
Fisher is on the FBI's
10 Most Wanted List,
00:18:07
and there is a reward of up
to $100,000 for information
00:18:11
leading to his arrest.
00:18:14
Next, famous crime
writer Agatha Christie
00:18:17
becomes a focus of her own
intriguing unsolved mystery.
00:18:30
Agatha Christie is the
bestselling writer of all time.
00:18:34
Over 2 billion of her mystery
novels have been sold.
00:18:38
However, at the age of 36,
Agatha herself suddenly
00:18:42
disappeared and became
the central character
00:18:45
in a real-life crime
investigation that mystified
00:18:48
her family and the police.
00:18:54
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Newlands Corner, England.
00:18:58
On a chilly December morning,
Agatha Christie's car
00:19:01
was found abandoned about an
hour's drive from her home.
00:19:05
It appeared that she
vanished into thin air.
00:19:08
Some suspected the worst--
00:19:10
that her husband,
Archie, had done her in.
00:19:16
The press was fascinated.
00:19:17
So was the public.
00:19:18
Agatha was a famous woman.
00:19:20
She was known to be a
mistress of mysteries.
00:19:23
This was a real-life mystery.
00:19:26
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
This story caused a sensation.
00:19:28
How could one of the best
known women in England
00:19:31
simply disappear?
00:19:35
She was born Agatha
Miller in 1890
00:19:38
and raised in the
wealthy upper middle
00:19:40
class of English society.
00:19:44
When Agatha was 24,
she married Col.
00:19:48
Archibald Christie,
a handsome pilot
00:19:50
in the Royal Flying Corps.
00:19:53
Everybody tells
them it's a bad idea.
00:19:55
It's the war.
00:19:56
They get married
on Christmas Day,
00:19:59
and he immediately
goes off to the war.
00:20:02
A very, very traditional
and romantic tale.
00:20:06
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): While
Archie was fighting in France,
00:20:09
Agatha launched
her writing career,
00:20:11
creating the famous Belgian
detective H. Hercule Poirot.
00:20:18
GWEN ROBYNS: That first
book was a sensation.
00:20:21
She didn't expect
anything like that,
00:20:24
and nobody expected it
from a rather plump,
00:20:27
placid, ordinary-looking girl.
00:20:29
It was strange, but she hit
the jackpot straight away.
00:20:32
GILLIAN GILL (VOICEOVER):
The next three or four books
00:20:34
did a little better each time.
00:20:36
And then with her fifth book,
"The Murder of Roger Ackroyd,"
00:20:40
she really hits the big time.
00:20:44
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): In 1926,
00:20:45
12 years into their
marriage, Agatha,
00:20:48
Archie, and their
young daughter,
00:20:49
Rosalind, moved into a mansion.
00:20:52
They called it Styles,
after Agatha's first novel.
00:20:56
Archie was now a successful
investment banker.
00:21:00
On the surface,
everything looked perfect.
00:21:03
Hadn't given it a thought.
00:21:06
Archie was a real stockbroker.
00:21:08
He was a British,
proper, upper crust,
00:21:11
boring man who looked good.
00:21:13
He was extremely conventional.
00:21:17
I'm playing golf
at the weekend.
00:21:18
Care to join me?
00:21:20
I don't believe I can.
00:21:21
ARCHIE: As you will.
00:21:23
GILLIAN GILL (VOICEOVER):
Agatha looked conventional.
00:21:24
But inside, she wasn't.
00:21:26
Inside, she wanted more.
00:21:29
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
But more would have to wait.
00:21:31
Soon after Agatha
moved into her mansion,
00:21:34
her mother, Clara, died.
00:21:36
Agatha fell apart.
00:21:39
Agatha was
absolutely distraught
00:21:40
from the death of her mother.
00:21:42
I think she had really never
left the mother's side,
00:21:45
and this is possibly
one of the reasons
00:21:47
why the marriage
wasn't a great success.
00:21:49
But she still remained
very much a family girl.
00:21:53
And when the mother died,
it really unhinged her bit.
00:21:57
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
She took Rosalind to the home
00:21:59
where Agatha had
grown up to sort
00:22:01
through her mother's things.
00:22:03
Though the move was temporary,
it dragged on and on.
00:22:07
And Archie stayed away.
00:22:11
GILLIAN GILL: At 36,
I think most women
00:22:13
would mourn their mothers.
00:22:14
But with Agatha Christie,
it wasn't just sorrow.
00:22:17
It was something
approaching melancholia.
00:22:19
It was an almost pathological
condition, I think.
00:22:24
And so she lived at Ashfield
in this terrible sense
00:22:29
of disorientation,
physical stress,
00:22:33
with no one to confide in,
looking forward to the point
00:22:37
when Archie would come
down and celebrate with her
00:22:40
their daughter's birthday.
00:22:42
Agatha, please do sit down.
00:22:45
Yes, Archie.
00:22:46
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
When Archie did finally come
00:22:47
to visit, he brought bad news.
00:22:50
Agatha, I want you
to give me a divorce.
00:22:54
A divorce?
00:22:55
That's what I want.
00:22:57
No, Archie.
00:22:58
Absolutely not, never.
00:23:00
That's what I want, Agatha.
00:23:02
I will not be moved.
00:23:04
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Archie had become involved
00:23:06
with a woman named Nancy Neele.
00:23:09
Well, this was absolutely
devastation for her.
00:23:13
She had been betrayed.
00:23:14
She never thought that a
man could do this to her.
00:23:17
I think she would have even
lived with Archie having
00:23:20
a mistress, but the fact
that he wanted to divorce
00:23:22
her destroyed her.
00:23:24
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
In a last ditch effort
00:23:26
to save her
marriage, Agatha took
00:23:28
Rosalind and moved back home.
00:23:33
I think you should stay at
Styles this weekend, Archie.
00:23:37
We could spend some
time alone together.
00:23:42
If you'll excuse me.
00:23:47
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Archie took off alone,
00:23:49
saying that he was
going to a weekend
00:23:50
house party, most likely a
rendezvous with his mistress.
00:23:59
And Agatha was left alone again.
00:24:04
GILLIAN GILL (VOICEOVER):
Either at 9:30 at night
00:24:05
or around 11:00
o'clock at night,
00:24:07
according to different
reports, she left the house
00:24:11
in something of a state.
00:24:14
The maids were alarmed
by the way she went out.
00:24:18
We know that she took with
her a small traveling case
00:24:23
and that she wore her fur coat.
00:24:26
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Agatha left a note
00:24:27
to her secretary asking
that all her weekend
00:24:30
appointments be canceled.
00:24:33
Another note of unknown content
was addressed to Archie.
00:24:41
Superintendent.
00:24:42
Morning.
00:24:44
Show me what you got, Constable.
00:24:45
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
The next morning,
00:24:46
Agatha's abandoned
car was found just
00:24:48
an hour's drive from Styles.
00:24:51
GILLIAN GILL (VOICEOVER): It had
gone off the side of the road.
00:24:54
It was not turned over.
00:24:55
There had been no big accident.
00:24:59
Her coat's still
in the car, sir.
00:25:02
Cold night to be
out without a coat.
00:25:04
Very cold indeed, sir.
00:25:09
What's this?
00:25:10
Her luggage, sir.
One small bag.
00:25:16
Three dresses, two pairs
of shoes, and this, sir.
00:25:21
Very nice.
00:25:22
Thank you, Constable.
00:25:25
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Archie Christie
00:25:26
had been tracked down
at his house party.
00:25:29
He had the unfortunate
timing to meet
00:25:31
with authorities
just as they were
00:25:33
beginning to suspect foul play.
00:25:40
Next, Archie Christie has
some explaining to do.
00:25:50
Mystery writer Agatha
Christie had disappeared.
00:25:54
Her car was found
abandoned, but there were
00:25:56
no clues to her whereabouts.
00:25:58
By the time her husband,
Archie, arrived on the scene,
00:26:01
he was a prime suspect.
00:26:05
Superintendent.
00:26:07
Col. Christie.
00:26:08
Who are all these people?
00:26:10
Oh, just the curious, sir.
00:26:13
Well, have they
got to be here?
00:26:14
Too late to stop
them now, sir.
00:26:16
They know the gist
of it already.
00:26:18
Col. Christie, have you any
idea where your wife might be?
00:26:21
No, sir, none.
00:26:22
I haven't a clue.
00:26:25
Pardon me for asking, but,
uh, where were you last night?
00:26:31
I was away at friends.
00:26:34
You were?
00:26:35
Yes, Superintendent, I was.
00:26:41
GILLIAN GILL: The police
launched vigorous attempts
00:26:44
to find a body.
00:26:46
There is a small
pool nearby called
00:26:47
Silent Pool, which
Agatha had, in fact, used
00:26:51
in one of her previous stories.
00:26:53
And this is dragged, I
think at least twice.
00:26:56
They enrolled the
public and I think even
00:27:00
parts of the army in kind
of beating the bushes,
00:27:03
quite literally.
00:27:05
Meanwhile, the press is
trying to investigate
00:27:08
every angle on the case.
00:27:10
They very rapidly get onto
the Nancy Neele angle,
00:27:14
and the plot they
start to involve
00:27:17
is, in fact, a murder plot,
possibly a suicide plot.
00:27:22
She's been driven to suicide
by the cruelty of her husband
00:27:24
and his infidelity.
00:27:26
Or, even more interesting, she
is refusing to divorce him,
00:27:31
and so he decides to
make away with her.
00:27:35
And the fact that so many of
the elements in the situation
00:27:40
mirror Agatha Christie's
own published fiction
00:27:44
makes the whole thing so
much more fascinating.
00:27:47
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Gradually, eyewitnesses
00:27:49
came forward to
describe encounters
00:27:52
that they had had with Agatha
before she disappeared.
00:27:56
The first was Ernest
Cross, who was
00:27:58
walking to work on the morning
of Agatha's disappearance.
00:28:01
You all right, ma'am?
00:28:02
What are you doing here?
00:28:03
I'm walking to work, ma'am.
00:28:05
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Cross
said that Agatha seemed upset.
00:28:07
She wore only a thin dress,
despite the cold weather.
00:28:12
Can I help you then?
00:28:14
Will you?
00:28:15
Oh, please.
00:28:16
Certainly.
00:28:17
AGATHA: Oh, very
good, very good.
00:28:18
I'll just get in.
00:28:20
All right then.
00:28:22
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Ernest Cross
00:28:23
said Agatha drove off in
the opposite direction
00:28:26
from Newlands
Corner, the village
00:28:28
where her car would
later be found.
00:28:32
Two railroad porters spoke
with Agatha outside the station
00:28:37
and thought that she
had boarded a train.
00:28:40
Thank you.
00:28:46
Nearly two weeks after Agatha
Christie had been reported
00:28:49
missing, she was seen
at a very elegant spa
00:28:52
200 miles from her home.
00:28:55
Agatha was registered
under the last name
00:28:57
of Neele, the same name
as Archie's mistress.
00:29:04
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): The
chief inspector wasted no time
00:29:06
bringing Archie up to the spa.
00:29:08
She'll have to
pass through here.
00:29:13
Agatha.
00:29:16
Archie?
00:29:19
Dear brother, you've
come to take me home.
00:29:20
Brother?
00:29:22
Archie, it's so
good to see you.
00:29:24
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): For
reasons known only to herself,
00:29:27
Agatha at first identified
Archie as her brother, not
00:29:31
her husband.
00:29:32
They thought you were dead.
00:29:33
Is this your wife, Colonel?
00:29:35
Yes, it is.
00:29:36
Mrs. Christie.
00:29:38
Hello.
00:29:39
Agatha, please, we must talk.
00:29:40
Come with me.
00:29:44
What I would like
to know is what
00:29:46
happened when Archie and
she went upstairs that night
00:29:49
and they sat in that
room all night talking.
00:29:52
I mean, did they give
each other hell or what?
00:29:55
And did he say, well,
I have no intention
00:29:57
of ever coming back to you?
00:29:59
I think he must have,
because that was the end.
00:30:02
That was the tragic
moment, that night.
00:30:07
Was there another
man involved?
00:30:08
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): No one knows
00:30:10
what was said in that room.
00:30:12
After the conversation, Agatha
and Archie quickly left.
00:30:17
They would never make a
comment about Agatha's
00:30:19
mysterious disappearance.
00:30:23
The press concluded that Agatha
had suffered from amnesia.
00:30:28
But experts today still
don't agree on what happened.
00:30:32
I believe that Christie had
a definitive and terrible fight
00:30:38
with her husband.
00:30:39
It drove her over the edge.
00:30:41
She had been depressed.
00:30:43
Now, she becomes, on
some level, psychotic.
00:30:45
She is not herself.
00:30:47
She takes on another identity.
00:30:50
She wanders off.
00:30:52
She gets on the train.
00:30:54
She takes another name.
00:30:56
She goes into this hotel,
and she lives another life.
00:31:01
That's very, very, very
rare, but it's known.
00:31:04
It's documented in the
annals of psychology.
00:31:06
And we know that Agatha
Christie was an unusual woman.
00:31:10
I think she plotted and
planned it from the start.
00:31:14
It was-- she went to
the only thing she knew.
00:31:17
She would use the
media that she knew,
00:31:19
which was revenge, mystery,
a possibility of murder.
00:31:27
She checked into this
hotel under the name--
00:31:30
I think it's just madly funny--
00:31:32
she checked in using the name
of the girlfriend, Neele.
00:31:35
Table for one
for Teresa Neele.
00:31:39
I think she took endless
delight in the fact
00:31:41
that the police shadowed Archie.
00:31:43
Poor Archie had
a hell of a life.
00:31:46
He couldn't go
anywhere, because they
00:31:47
suspected him of murdering her.
00:31:49
And I think she took
marvelous delight
00:31:52
in reading this in the papers.
00:31:55
Again, I think in a sort
of revenge and twisted-up
00:31:58
sort of way, she was thinking.
00:32:00
But it was very funny.
00:32:02
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
After then, Archie and Agatha
00:32:05
soon went their separate ways.
00:32:07
Agatha married archeologist
Max Mallowan in 1930,
00:32:12
two years after Archie
had wed Nancy Neele.
00:32:16
By all accounts, both couples
had long, happy marriages.
00:32:25
Next, the story
of enemy soldiers
00:32:27
who became friends on one
remarkable Christmas Eve.
00:32:42
The Ardennes Forest in Belgium.
00:32:46
It was here near the
end of World War II
00:32:49
that Germany launched
its last great offense.
00:32:52
Known as the Battle
of the Bulge,
00:32:54
it resulted in more
American casualties
00:32:57
than any other
battle in the war.
00:33:04
Very close to the fighting
stood a small, isolated cabin.
00:33:09
There, Fritz Vincken, a
12-year-old German boy,
00:33:13
lived with his
mother, Elisabeth.
00:33:16
Fritz's father, Hubert,
worked as a civilian baker
00:33:20
for the German
army 20 miles away.
00:33:23
On their own, Fritz
and his mother
00:33:25
struggled to put
food on the table.
00:33:28
[speaking german]
00:33:30
My father thought,
like everybody else,
00:33:33
that the war would
be over by Christmas.
00:33:37
But it was not to be, and
our stay in this shack
00:33:43
was longer than we anticipated.
00:33:46
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Christmas Eve arrived filled
00:33:48
with sadness and uncertainty.
00:33:51
Hubert had still not
returned, and his family
00:33:54
was resigned to spending
the holiday without him.
00:33:58
Fritz's mother tried to make the
evening as festive as possible.
00:34:02
She scraped together a
Christmas meal of a few potatoes
00:34:07
and a scrawny rooster.
00:34:10
[knocking]
00:34:12
Papa?
00:34:13
FRITZ VINCKEN (VOICEOVER):
She opened the door,
00:34:15
and there were these soldiers.
00:34:17
Um, good evening, ma'am.
00:34:19
Do you speak English?
00:34:21
Nein.
00:34:24
Uh, we're Americans.
00:34:26
FRITZ VINCKEN (VOICEOVER):
They tried to talk to us,
00:34:28
but my mother didn't
speak English.
00:34:31
Our friend's been shot.
00:34:34
Can we come inside
for a while, please?
00:34:36
FRITZ VINCKEN
(VOICEOVER): My mother
00:34:37
just looked, and she looked at
the guy sitting in the snow.
00:34:41
[speaking german]
00:34:42
Thank you.
00:34:44
FRITZ VINCKEN (VOICEOVER):
Until finally my mother after--
00:34:46
it seems to be like
an eternity to me--
00:34:49
she asked them to come in.
00:34:52
[speaking german]
00:34:53
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Fritz's mother
00:34:55
knew the harboring of the
enemy was punishable by death.
00:34:58
But on this night, she was
willing to take that risk.
00:35:03
Ask her if speaks French.
00:35:05
[speaking french]
00:35:13
FRITZ VINCKEN (VOICEOVER): He
said that they lost their unit
00:35:16
and were wandering
through the Ardennes
00:35:18
for the past two
days and two nights.
00:35:21
She's going to
change his bandage.
00:35:23
[speaking german]
00:35:26
My mother was all motherhood.
00:35:30
She worried for them, and she
worried for the wounded man,
00:35:35
and she did
everything she could.
00:35:38
They were very nice, like big
boys from the neighborhood,
00:35:42
you know.
00:35:44
[knocking]
00:35:48
We thought automatically
this must be more Americans.
00:35:54
And I went to the door
and opened the door,
00:35:59
and there were four
German soldiers.
00:36:01
[speaking german]
00:36:03
FRITZ VINCKEN (VOICEOVER):
I was petrified with fear.
00:36:06
SOLDIER: [speaking german]
00:36:09
FRITZ VINCKEN (VOICEOVER): He
said, we have lost our unit,
00:36:11
and we would like to
warm up a little bit.
00:36:13
[speaking german]
00:36:14
FRITZ VINCKEN (VOICEOVER):
So my mother said,
00:36:16
you'll not only be
allowed to warm up,
00:36:19
but you'll get a nice dinner
if you accept out guests.
00:36:24
[speaking german]
00:36:27
FRITZ VINCKEN (VOICEOVER):
And my mother said,
00:36:29
this is Christmas
night, and there will
00:36:30
be no shooting around here.
00:36:34
Put your arms in the
wooden shed and then we'll
00:36:38
come out and have a
nice, nice Christmas.
00:36:43
Meanwhile, my mother had
turned to the Americans, who
00:36:47
by then had noticed that
some Germans were coming
00:36:50
and had turned to
their guns also.
00:36:52
[speaking french]
00:37:09
FRITZ VINCKEN (VOICEOVER):
My mother said to me, get
00:37:10
more potatoes and more water.
00:37:14
We have more mouths to feed.
00:37:18
Your comrade, he's wounded?
00:37:22
Yeah.
00:37:24
Yeah, he caught a round
in the thigh earlier.
00:37:26
One of the German
soldiers went over
00:37:29
to the American that
was wounded and asked
00:37:32
the Americans in English
what was wrong with him.
00:37:38
So what do you think?
00:37:40
He's lucky.
00:37:41
He's lost a lot of
blood, but the cold
00:37:44
has prevented the wound
from getting infected.
00:37:46
FRITZ VINCKEN: He had
some first aid kit,
00:37:49
and he applied a
dressing to the wound.
00:37:53
And the whole evening,
he would every now
00:37:55
and then go and look after him.
00:37:58
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
That night, hostilities ceased
00:38:00
in at least one
corner of the forest
00:38:03
as American and German
soldiers sat down together
00:38:07
to honor the Christmas season.
00:38:11
FRITZ VINCKEN (VOICEOVER):
My mother said grace.
00:38:14
[speaking german]
00:38:17
FRITZ VINCKEN: It
wasn't a regular prayer.
00:38:19
It was something spontaneous.
00:38:23
And she said let's all thank
the Lord for being together
00:38:29
tonight, peaceful in
this terrible war,
00:38:33
and let's promise to be
friendly to each other forever,
00:38:38
if possible.
00:38:39
Let's also pray for an
end of this terrible war
00:38:42
so that we can go
home very soon.
00:38:47
And by that time--
00:38:49
by that time, they
were all crying.
00:38:53
But from then on, there
was a feeling of friendship
00:38:57
that permeated the whole--
00:39:01
it was wonderful.
00:39:03
I'll never forget it.
00:39:05
[speaking german]
00:39:07
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
The next morning,
00:39:09
the German soldiers help
construct a makeshift stretcher
00:39:12
for the injured GI and
then gave the Americans
00:39:15
directions back to their lines.
00:39:19
Continue till you come
to the railroad tracks.
00:39:23
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): That
same day, Fritz and his mother
00:39:25
left with the
Germans and were soon
00:39:27
reunited with Fritz's father.
00:39:30
The war continued for
another five months.
00:39:36
In the early 1960s,
Fritz immigrated
00:39:39
to the United States.
00:39:40
He became an American citizen
and settled in Hawaii.
00:39:44
Like his father before
him, Fritz became a baker.
00:39:49
But that special night in
1944 remains the defining
00:39:53
moment of Fritz's life.
00:39:55
He always held out
hope that he would
00:39:58
find the American GIs
who helped him learn
00:40:01
the true meaning of Christmas.
00:40:04
It showed me what
my mother could do,
00:40:06
and it showed me what one single
human being can do to avert
00:40:11
bloodshed and to bring peace.
00:40:14
And it also showed me at a very
early age that we're all alike.
00:40:19
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Update.
00:40:22
After our broadcast, a man
named Eldridge Ward called us
00:40:25
here at "Unsolved Mysteries."
00:40:27
Ward was a volunteer chaplain
at a nursing home in Maryland.
00:40:31
He recognized the story as
one often told by a resident
00:40:36
named Ralph Blank.
00:40:38
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
When Fritz learned
00:40:40
that one of the
soldiers was still
00:40:41
alive but in fragile health,
he hurried to meet him.
00:40:47
It's Ralph.
00:40:49
Fritz.
00:40:50
Wow, it was 50 years ago, boy.
00:40:52
It's Ralph, it's Ralph.
00:40:54
Oh, my god.
- How are you, Fritz?
00:40:56
Well, I'm glad to see you.
00:41:00
I just had to look at his
eyes, and I knew this is him.
00:41:05
And he recognized me
apparently, even though we
00:41:08
changed so much in that time.
00:41:11
But it was a great experience.
00:41:15
RALPH BLANK: I never
thought I'd ever see Fritz
00:41:17
again when I left Germany.
00:41:18
You were a little boy.
00:41:19
I was 12.
00:41:21
Today is a special day for me.
00:41:25
FRITZ VINCKEN: I can only tell
you it was the fulfillment
00:41:27
of a life-long dream.
00:41:29
It's something I had given
up all hope to experience.
00:41:36
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): More
than a half a century later,
00:41:38
they compared memories
of that Christmas Day.
00:41:41
You had a gun,
and she had a rifle.
00:41:44
I had a pistol, you remember?
00:41:46
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:41:47
I gave it to your mother.
00:41:48
That's right.
00:41:49
Or she took it from you.
00:41:50
[laughter]
00:41:52
She's still got my pistol.
00:41:58
[theme music]
